ABOUT US
Denise Korn & Manuel Santelices
Join us here where we – two eternal optimists, creatives, seekers and lifelong friends – share our take, with all of you, on this cultural moment.
Denise Korn
Unabashedly leading from the heart, Korn brings her critical thinking and distinct style to every creative conundrum along her magical mystery tour. Working directly with impassioned leaders, driven visionaries and fearless entrepreneurs demands its own unique response, poise, and the ability to dig deep, delivering results that pack a punch.
Her signature multi-disciplinary + purposeful process, is grounded with an attuned business acumen, design chops, and hunger for experimentation. A convener, connector and award-winning creator of memorable experiences and iconic places, Korn instinctively brings the essence of hospitality, human-centered design + community into all that she embraces.
Yellow& Partners.com
Manuel Santelices
Manuel is a writer, editor and illustrator who has covered- and drawn- the worlds of fashion, art, design and society for numerous publications and clients in the U.S., Europe and Latin America. As a journalist and artist, he keeps his mind and eyes open always looking for interesting, inspiring stories and he’s in constant search for what’s next.
Manuel Santilices.com
It’s easy to feel confused these days. The 24-hour-news cycle; the constant, pounding, sometimes unbearable torrent of content coming from social media; the dizzying and dazzling mix of high and low in fashion, art and music; fragmented culture, and a society that seems both deeply narcissistic and extraordinarily committed to social change is all a swirl.
The Curiosity Agenda doesn’t look to have answers but to ask questions, and, as the name suggests, pursue our great curiosity about what’s moving the strings of this very particular cultural moment.
What will the tides of today bring to the future? What will movements like Black Lives Matter or Me Too look in ten years? How will the fight for gender and economic equality translate into areas like urban planning, wellness, entertainment or fashion? What will catch the interest of a generation that has grown accustomed to seeing and feeling the world through the screen. In the information era overload, what is rising above the swirl to inspire us as fresh and new?
Creators of every kind are feeding each other with new ideas and references, crisscrossing their work, high and low, street urban and elitist, artistic and commercial, banal and philosophical. We see deeper meaning bursting forth from these unexpected unions. Collaboration is fostering entirely new ways to frame new ways of thinking – allowing for combined perspectives and multi-cultural attitudes to grapple with the audacious challenges facing our society today.
We are curious about the future and how we will step forward. Trends might show us snapshots of the moment, but they don’t attest to provide any deep insight into a big picture view. Right now there are a few givens to the arch of where things are going: climate change is one of our biggest challenges, equity - in all dimensions - must be embraced, diversity promoted, and responsibility taken as a collective mantra to create a more sustainable and equitable life together. New approaches are blossoming, creating new spaces, and shared places where everyone has a voice and potential for positive social impact.
We are inspired and forever changed by this transformational moment – where new challenges need a new way of thinking and doing. Change is percolating fast in creative and unexpected ways.